SAY THAT AGAIN? PART 1

I AM, PROFESSIONALLY AND BY LIFE’S CHOICES, A COMMUNICATOR. How else to explain 33+ years at R&T and now approaching 14 years at SimanaitisSays. Indeed, prior to these, the Society of Automotive Engineers and academe also involved communication roles. 

Hence my recent attention is caught by a regular website source of mine offering “In New Book, Therapist Defines 5 Communication Types—Here’s Why It Helps to Know Yours,” Nice News, April, 16, 2026. In a sense, the article is something of an oddity: an author’s own book review. Nevertheless, in Parts 1 and 2 today and tomorrow are tidbits a’plenty about communication, a topic that the author knows well.

Discovering Your Communication Type: The 5 Paths to Deeper Connections and Stronger Relationships, by Jason VanRuler, Zondervan, 2026.

IndieBound describes, “Healthy connections with others don’t happen on their own. They take practice, time, and knowledge of yourself and others. That’s why everyone can benefit from Discovering Your Communication Type—whether you feel good about your relationships and just want to improve, or you’re floundering and desperate for help.”

Hmm…. Where am I in this spectrum? Likely just about at any point one time or another. And I suspect you might feel the same. 

Jason VanRuler is a psychotherapist, author, and speaker specializing in communication, attachment, and relationships. His acronym PATHS describes five distinct communication types: Peacemaker, Advocate, Thinker, Harbor, and Spark. 

Our Intention Versus Others’ Reception. VanRuler recounts, “… we often view our words and communication through the lens of our intentions rather than how they were received by others. Stephen Covey popularized this idea [see The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People] and psychological research has supported it time and time again. What’s true is that it is hard to see outside of ourselves, especially when we aren’t sure about our communication type or why we communicate the way that we do.”

Tomorrow in Part 2, Jason VanRuler continues with his PATHS approach to communication. I contribute my own EDITS (Editing and Dissing This Stuff). ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2026